


Reminiscing and New Beginnings

by emmadilla



Series: 30 Day OTP Challenge [17]
Category: DCU, DCU (Comics), Martian Manhunter (Comics)
Genre: 30 Day OTP Challenge, F/M, First Meetings, Memories, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-31
Updated: 2019-01-31
Packaged: 2019-10-20 00:12:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,465
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17611751
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emmadilla/pseuds/emmadilla
Summary: On the day of his anniversary with his late wife, J'onn retreats for a little alone time to remember the good times. After all these years, he's finally found peace with the death of his wife and his daughter and the extinction of his home planet. It's when he fully accepts the peace that his world is thrown into a tailspin once more.





	Reminiscing and New Beginnings

**Author's Note:**

> 30 Day OTP Challenge
> 
> Day 17: A Memory

Sighing, J’onn shifted from his normal presenting form and into his human form. He rarely did so these days, mainly because he so seldom ventured beyond the Watchtower, but for once he was beset with a fit of boredom, and so he decided to come down from his perch and wander on the Earth itself.

 

No, that wasn’t quite true. He wasn’t bored, not really. Not any more than he was on any given day. The truth of the matter, the real crux, was the date. Translating Martian time to match that of Earth’s was not the easiest feat, however he had done so long ago, just to give himself a sense of stability, of familiarity. He held on to a few quirks like this, things that made him feel connected to who he was and where he came from. He couldn’t go back, of course, but if nothing else he could remember. And _that_ was exactly why J’onn wandered. Not because he was searching for some form of entertainment, but because he remembered. Specifically, he remembered what day it was and its significance.

 

Long ago, seemingly many, many lifetimes, J’onn and his wife were joined in ceremony. It had been a happy courtship, and neither could wait for the day. When it finally did come, it had felt like the whole culmination of J’onn’s life had led to this point, surpassed only by when his daughter had been born. While nostalgia wanted to paint a rosy, perfect picture, J’onn’s analytical mind knew better. There was no such thing as a perfect life, perfect wife, perfect children. They’d had disagreements, his daughter had gotten on their last nerves, and there had been times were J’onn had just felt exhausted by the whole ordeal of being a husband and father. But, despite the imperfections, it was perfect to _him_. Given the choice, he wouldn’t have done anything any differently. He loved his family, and nothing could ever change that. Even the anguish he experienced at their deaths could not completely overshadow the light and love and he felt with them.

 

But, at times, it still felt overwhelming, and he felt a need to retreat from familiar confines. And so he transported down to Earth, to a random city. Which one, he wasn’t even sure of and he truly didn’t care. He just needed some time in his own mind.

 

Walking down the street, though he was surrounded by people, he _felt_ alone, and it was like his whole body breathed a sigh of relief. Up at the Watchtower, sometimes, it just felt stifling. Sometimes some fresh air was all he really needed to help clear the cobwebs of his carefully reconstructed psyche. And so he walked, no real destination in mind, just walking for the distraction of it all. Whether it was chance or somehow meant to be, his feet took him to the edge of a park, and giving it no real thought, he entered. Wandering the trails, he felt himself start to settle, start to find peace once more. He loved his family dearly, that he could never deny and he would never try to. Their deaths, however, it was more difficult to find peace with that. Over time, however, those broiling emotions came up less and less, and with experience and effort they became easier and easier to counter and control. Nowadays, they normally only came up on certain days … anniversaries, birthdays, that sort of thing. And when they did, J’onn retreated for a little bit to get a handle on himself before he returned to his dutiful watch.

 

As he made his way toward the centre of the park, he realised that there was a lake there, a little spot that likely served as a skating rink in the winter, but now, in the autumn, was simply a sight to take in. He paused, standing on the trail by the edge of the water, breathing deeply as he closed his eyes, different memories started to wash over him, one after the other. The first time he’d met M’yri’ah - quite accidentally, a chance meeting in the grand scheme of things. The day they pledged to each other, the joy in her eyes and her mind. The sight of her swollen with child, and then, of course, the birth of their daughter, K’hym. J’onn remembered every little detail from that day. The first time he laid eyes on her, the first time he held her in his arms, the first time she opened her eyes and they connected as father and daughter. He’d felt so overcome with love, tears started to drip down his face just at remembering the way they swelled in his chest.

 

Before, when he experienced memories like these, he’d felt overwhelmed and burdened. Now, however, while they did tug at his heartstrings, he felt … light. Peace. Serenity. He was a strange man in a stranger world, the last surviving Martian come to Earth, the rest of his race dead and gone. That was something he’d struggled with for years, coming to terms with being the last. It was not an easy burden to bear, but … over time, it got easier. Slowly, little by little. Like shuffling off chains one link at a time. This time … he felt even freer than before. He released the pain he felt into the universe and accepted his fate as the Martian Manhunter, forever alone, perhaps, but content all the same. He breathed deeply once more as he opened his eyes, seeing the sun about to set, casting brilliant rays of red and orange across the sky. Red like his home planet. And yet, for once, the colour red was simply that, and nothing more. Grief was an ongoing process, one that beings experienced over their entire lifetimes. But there were times, just like this with J’onn, where it did not overwhelm or burden, and instead the bearer only acknowledged the feelings, the emotions, and let them pass on by. Just as J’onn did as he turned and walked back out of the park.

 

Feeling refreshed, he turned down a new path as he exited, full of a sense of renewal and … hope? Was that it? His footsteps seemed to be lighter than before, a little spring there that he normally didn’t carry. Even the world around him felt brighter than it had before, the colours sharper, the shapes more defined. He even found himself smiling softly, happy and content despite the day, despite the memories he carried. They no longer held sway over him, and he felt like he was ready to move on, to completely shake the hold they used to have. Though the sun was setting, it felt like a new day.

 

In all his musings, J’onn almost completely walked past a little flower stand set up outside a shop, but something tugged at him, made him stop. The shopkeeper - a slight little thing with green hair - smiled brightly at him, though he noticed it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Interested in some flowers?” she asked.

 

He paused, but he nodded, his smile growing. “Yes, just something simple.” Looking over the available options, there was a veritable rainbow of blossoms, but one plant in particular stood out. “What about that one?”

 

“The peace lily?” she asked. “Sure. Nothing else?”

 

J’onn shook his head. “That will be all.”

 

The woman - _Audrey_ , according to her name tag - set to task wrapping up the stems in paper and tying a ribbon around them nice and tight as J’onn fished out the wallet he kept on him for such random occasions. Not that a Martian had a lot of needs that could be fulfilled on Earth, but the income he did receive he mostly socked away. He pulled out a sufficient number of bills to cover the cost, shoving the wallet back in his pants pocket before he handed over the money. She cashed him out in short order, handing him back the little bit of change and going over the bouquet one more time before she gave it to him.

 

And that’s when it happened. Just the barest of contact, a slip of one set of fingers against another, and it was like electricity shot through them both. The woman yanked her hand back, shocked, while J’onn stood there, stock still. There was nothing more either of them could do, however, as the bond created by their touch was already forming and cementing in place. J’onn was confused, a turmoil of emotions roiling through him until he realised … those weren’t his feelings.

 

They were _hers_.

 

Looking into her eyes, he knew the truth of the matter, though he didn’t understand it at all. After all, just how could a Martian and an Earthling be … soulmates?

**Author's Note:**

> Don't worry, there will be an eventual continuation of this at some point. Just not sure exactly when. :)


End file.
